ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — From giving up straws to planting trees, we all have ideas about what sustainability looks like. But experts say some of the most popular choices aren’t actually the most impactful.
On this sweltering summer day Rebecca, Sage, Sam, and Allison are chillin’ out in the springs. They’re also trying to live greener lives, one choice at a time, with reusables, biking, and buying less. These are all great steps, but is it enough?
“So, sustainability is a lot of different things. All of these solutions start with the individual first,” said Clayton Louis Ferrara, CEO of IDEAS For Us.
Experts say real sustainability involves reducing food waste, eating less meat, restoring wildlife habitats, building edible landscapes, and creating community gardens in food deserts. All of these acts promote healthy children. It’s also about capturing carbon in the soil and pushing for policy changes that benefit both the environment and underserved communities.
“Sustainability is the mixture of economic solutions, environmental solutions, and social solutions,” Ferrara explained.
From our homes to our communities, true sustainability isn’t one simple change. It’s a network of choices that build a healthier future for everyone.
“When people think about sustainability, they should look at their own home, their own buying habits, then they can branch out and begin to look at their community and to their friends and to their family,” Ferrara told Ivanhoe.
No matter where you start, experts agree: environmental sustainability begins with awareness and grows with action.
A lot of us think giving up plastic straws or buying “green” products makes the biggest difference. But the real impact comes from changing how we eat, move, and power our lives. The EPA says over half of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions come from transportation and energy use. And the global carbon project ranks China, the U.S. and India as the top three emitters of greenhouse gases worldwide. So, while individual choices matter, supporting smarter systems can create lasting change.
Contributors to this news report include: Marsha Lewis, Executive Producer; Matt Goldschmidt, Videographer; and Bob Walko, Editor.
Produced by Child Trends News Service in partnership with Ivanhoe Broadcast News and funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF).
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